Thursday, February 8, 2007

This dish will really get “under your skin!” The secret to this amazing roast chicken is the “compound butter” that we will put under the chicken skin. The butter will actually flavor the bird from the inside and create a delicious and crisp-skinned roast chicken.

Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe. I tried it yesterday and my husband just loved it, the chicken came out very juicy. Sometime I don't have fresh herbs, would dried herbs work just as well and if so how much should I use of the dried herbs?

I only started reading your blog recently, and it is sure interesting trying these older recipes. I followed your instructions, with exception of thyme and the cooking temperature. Mine cooked a little longer since I was aiming for a final temp of 180F. I was concerned it would be dry given the extra time in the hot oven, but it was perfectly tender. The butter smelled amazing before it was in the chicken, and it only got better as it cooked.

This chicken was amazing! best I've ever had it was moist and perfect! I was a question though seeing as thanksgiving is nearing (in Canada atleast) I was wondering if you could use this same technique on a turkey?

I tried this one for the first time today. It works very well and produces a beautiful chicken as advertised. Sadly I forgot the garlic as I rushed to get this ready but it was still tasty. I had to make do with dried herbs and a word of caution for those using dried herbs! - As Chef John promises the compound butter under the skin really does permeate through the meat. It would be easy to overdo the seasoning with dry herbs so don't use too heavy a hand when seasoning the butter. Or better yet do what Chef John says and use fresh herbs.

Great recipe!!!Whoa! I tried this with dried thyme and maybe 1/8 of fresh would be better. Everyone seemed to enjoy the powerful herb flavor but me. The technique is super. I was wearing a sidearm at the serving and I am not sure but this may have stifled any criticism.

Do you have a method of thinking of roasting time for chicken by weight for a particular temperature to get the same results - moist meat and crispy skin?

For example in this video you have set the temperature at 400deg for a 4 lbs chicken and roasted it for 60mins. Would it be appropriate to think 15 minutes per pound at 400deg? I am trying to get away from using a thermometer...thanks much in advance.

Thanks for your clear description of how to cook this wonderful dish. I had complete success baking this chicken dish for the first time. Then I found your gravy recipe and followed that with success as well.

I got a chance to try this recently and it turned out perfectly! Whole chicken was on sale at the supermarket for 77-cents per pound, and we picked up a 5+ lb. bird for less than five bucks! This has got to be one of the best "value" recipes out there.

The compound butter resulted in an amazing flavor. However, the chicken wound up taking about 2 hours to get up to 165 degrees. I suspect the problem is that I roasted it in a cold cast iron skillet. Next time I'll pre-heat the skillet along with the oven.

I'm totally going to give this a try. I'm a recent college graduate and my tiny kitchen and I prevail making some of the most delicious and creative of things. I've been using a price chopper pre-cooked chicken for my Pumpkin Chili up till now, time to step it up a notch. :) Thank you chef john, I'm a huge fan. I watch your videos at work and get such a kick out of them, so much my coworkers wonder why I start spontaneously laughing.

Hey Chef John! I am really excited about trying out this recipe... Could I do this with a brined chicken as well? I have been on a brining kick lately, and while I have never brined (or roasted, for that matter) a whole chicken I hear that it is in fact 'the bomb', as the culinary kids on the street like to say.

Hey Chef John! I am really excited about trying out this recipe... Could I do this with a brined chicken as well? I have been on a brining kick lately, and while I have never brined (or roasted, for that matter) a whole chicken I hear that it is in fact 'the bomb', as the culinary kids on the street like to say.

Happy to see you are still replying to comments on this old post. I have done this recipe before and it was great. I am feeding a lot of people and was wondering if it would be appropriate to prepare the chicken the day before (stuff the butter, etc). Am I overlooking something to think this is no big deal? Thanks Chef John, you're the best!

Hello Chef John.You are my hero, and not just because of this recipe either. Anyway, I used this recipe but instead of putting the chicken in the oven, I used a vertical countertop rotisserie (Cuisinart). We had a 7.5 lb capon chicken and it came out PERFECT! In fact, it was the most delicious chicken we've ever had.Thanks for this wonderful recipe.

Chef John, Have you made or used 'Niter Kibbeh? It's an Ethiopian seasoned butter concoction which smells and tastes like nothing you have ever experienced. Absolutely TERRIFIC!! I thought it would make a great 'under-the-skin' rub when solid and a great injected marinade when melted. I plan to do both. Comments please. Thanks.

Chef John, FYI, I first found the recipe for Niter Kibbeh in one of my old Frugal Gourmet cookbooks along with several other Ethiopian recipes and a description of Ethiopian cuisine. Really good stuff!! This butter might also be a tasty alternative to plain buttered sweet corn, on or off the cob. If you find the Frug's book, also check the injera bread recipe. While not authentic, it's easy to prepare and is a good delivery vehicle for eating many other foods. At least, it's appearance should create some conversation. Thanks.

Hi Chef,I really like this because of the technique with pan sauce. I did it a couple of weeks ago with a 4 lb fryer and the flavors and moistness were incredible. I'm thinking I can do this with split bone in, skin on breasts too. But can I or should I sear the skin side first?Thanks!

THANKS CHEF!!! I just tried this today--I was never brave enough to cook whole chickens before you! So easy tho--I dunno why I was so scared. That is THE moistest breast-meat I have ever eaten and the skin was TO DIE FOR good. (I peeled it off the whole dang thing and ate it up, couldn't resist!) I will be doing chickens this way many more times in the future, no doubt! Lots of herb/spice combos to try out!! <3Thanks again!!

Just made the chicken roast and it was delicious! You are the best chef john! I also made your dinner rolls as a side and my family absolutely loved it! No leftovers! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes'!

Hey chef. I love your videos. I'm curious, could I roast the chicken in a cast iron skillet in the oven and then afterwards put the skillet right onto the stove to make the pan sauce? Let me know. Keep up the great work! Thanks for the videos.

Since I had a small family get-together for Thanksgiving this year, we made a chicken instead of a big turkey. This came out absolutely beautifully. SUPER tender and moist white meat, not to mention the rest of the chicken! The whole crowd said that it was the BEST roasted chicken they've ever had...ever. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe and helping to make our Thanksgiving dinner a success!

Since I had a small family get-together for Thanksgiving this year, we made a chicken instead of a big turkey. This came out absolutely beautifully. SUPER tender and moist white meat, not to mention the rest of the chicken! The whole crowd said that it was the BEST roasted chicken they've ever had...ever. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe and helping to make our Thanksgiving dinner a success!

Since I had a small family get-together for Thanksgiving this year, we made a chicken instead of a big turkey. This came out absolutely beautifully. SUPER tender and moist white meat, not to mention the rest of the chicken! The whole crowd said that it was the BEST roasted chicken they've ever had...ever. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe and helping to make our Thanksgiving dinner a success!

First of all, i would like to say that i really enjoy your recipes and have tried the no kneed pizza dough, which was amazing.I wanted to know if I'm roasting a 2 Kg chicken do i have to pre-heat my oven, and for how long?

Chef,I am new to your site and have not yet had the opportunity to try many of your recipes. I did, however, make this roast chicken just a few nights ago with a 6 lb. bird I bought for the 2 of us. I must have been REALLY hungry when I bought that one. So, other than operator error in using a touch too much salt when making my compound butter, the meal was deemed a "Redo" in our house. The flavor of the fresh lemon thyme and rosemary from my herb garden (and 2 huge sprigs of fresh sage in the cavity) was throughout the meat and my wife, bless her soul, actually said it was the best white meat she had ever tasted. It is my ultimate goal in life to please her so for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Since this meal was such a success I am afraid the bar is now set quite high for you.Thanks, Shawn